Ice dams are an overlooked winter problem which can easily cause thousands of dollars worth of damage. Read below to learn more about ice dams, what causes them, and how to prevent them this winter…
What is an ice dam?
An ice dam is a frozen sheet of ice that forms at the edge of a roof. This ice acts as a dam, preventing water from flowing into your gutters. With nowhere else to go, this backup of water can eventually seep into your roof, causing problems such as:
- Wood rot in your ceilings and walls
- Insulation damage
- Wet spots and mold growth
- Poor indoor air quality
What causes ice dams?
As you may recall from science class, warm air rises. When warm air from your home escapes through the attic, snow which has accumulated on the roof begins to melt, even if the outside temperatures are below freezing.
As the water from the melting snow flows down the roof, it will eventually reach its freezing point and turn back into ice. This forms a small dam at the edge of your roof, which continues to grow as snow continues to melt. When the ice dam becomes large enough and water can no longer reach the gutters, it begins to seep into the roof.
Solutions for ice dams
There are two ways to handle ice dams; the proactive way and the reactive way.
Proactive approaches are long-term solutions, and can help stop ice dams before they start. Proactive solutions include:
Reactive solutions, on the other hand, are short-term fixes after the ice dam has already formed. These include:
If you wait too long to act on an ice dam, you could incur significant water damage in your home and attic. If this occurs, contact a professional restoration company for assistance. Attempting to fix water damage on your own can result in illness and structural problems to your home.
Long Island homeowners can count on the pros at GreenPro Cleaning & Restoration for all of their water damage restoration needs. If you live in Nassau County or Suffolk County, give us a call at (631) 940-8100.
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